


Papers & Paprikash

by nightingaelic



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Spoilers, Conversations, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 10:07:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20872430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightingaelic/pseuds/nightingaelic
Summary: Vision and Wanda talk for a bit following the argument about the Sokovia Accords at the Avengers compound.





	Papers & Paprikash

**Author's Note:**

> This work is canon-compliant for Captain America: Civil War, and takes place during and immediately following the scene where Cap walks out on the debate after receiving a text message. Written from a prompt to use a certain line of dialogue. If you can guess it, I'll give you my first-born child.

“What if this panel sends us somewhere we don’t think we should go? What if there’s somewhere we need to go, and they don’t let us?” 

Even faced with a potential loss of control over his own abilities, Steve Rogers wore the most diplomatic expression of any of the Avengers in the room. Wanda stared down at her lap. 

“We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own,” Steve went on. 

Stark shook his head, serious as a broken leg but still as flippant as ever. “If we don’t do this now, it’s going to be done to us later,” he said. “That’s the fact. That won’t be pretty.” 

“You’re saying they’ll come for me,” Wanda said, raising her eyes to look straight past Natasha’s right shoulder. She knew the discussion they were having, beneath words like “accountability” and “oversight.” Of the men and women in the room arguing about the Accords, only one had recently tossed a burning man into a building block in Lagos. Only one had brought out the dying screams of innocents as they drowned in his fire. 

She expected Steve to speak up and pledge his defense of her, along with a vow to always hold the responsibility of the lives lost during their missions close to their minds and hearts. Something like that. Steve was great at giving motivational speeches. But instead, a different voice spoke up. 

“We would protect you,” said Vision on her right. 

Wanda kept up her refined face of acceptance, but she turned her head in surprise. He met her gaze with his own look of reassurance, before turning back to listen to Natasha and Sam bickering. 

“I’m reading the terrain,” Natasha said defensively. “We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back.” 

Stark feigned disbelief. “Focus up. I’m sorry, did I mishear you, or did you just agree with me?” 

“Ugh, I want to take it back now.” 

“No, no, no, you can’t retract it.” 

Steve’s phone buzzed, and he pulled it out. His face fell. “I have to go,” he said curtly, before slamming the draft of the Sokovia Accords down on the table and walking out. 

Everyone paused as he left, his footsteps echoing off into the distance. Wanda watched the floor, feeling his heart clench with every step as he walked away. 

Stark clapped his hands together. “Well, that’s class. Everyone do your assigned reading, and get your answers to Nat before she takes the quinjet to Vienna.” 

He stuck his hands in his pockets and stepped off in the direction opposite from where Steve had gone. Rhodes trailed him, looking thoughtful, while Sam rubbed the bridge of his nose and nodded before heading off after the captain. 

Natasha sighed and stood up. “I’ll be down in the hangar if anyone needs me,” she muttered, before heading off in a third direction, auburn waves of hair bouncing around her shoulders. 

Wanda crossed her arms and pulled her feet up onto the couch, curled into a defensive position. Lately she’d felt like curling up again, retracting inside herself and folding smaller and smaller. Into the woman who had huddled within a Sokovian home crying about how the fleet of metal androids was all her fault. Into the girl who had shrunk within the corners of the glass cells of Baron von Strucker’s Hydra laboratory. Into the child that had hidden beneath a bed with her twin brother and waited for a Stark Industries missile shell to kill them both. She hated the feeling, hated the need to shrink, but didn’t know what else to do. 

“Did you wish to be alone?” 

Wanda had almost forgotten Vision was there. The android was impossible to miss upon first meeting, but easy to let slide from memory. He was absolutely silent. No need to breathe, blink, move at all unless he deemed it necessary. 

He moved now, though, leaning forward and uncrossing his legs as if prepared to leave her. Wanda opened up slightly, let one of her own feet fall to the floor. 

“Loneliness is an old companion,” she said. “But not a very comforting one.” 

“I understand that people often wish to reflect by themselves before making important decisions,” Vision replied. “As I’ve made my decision already, I can leave you to yours.” 

“That’s very thoughtful of you, Vis.” Wanda gave him a half-hearted smile. “I was actually thinking about Pietro.” 

“I see.” Vision lowered his gaze. “Then I’m not sure what insight I can offer you.” 

“He would have made his decision already, too,” Wanda said softly. “He was quick with just about everything. Quick on his feet, quick to judge, quick to react. It felt good to know he had an answer, a response for all.” 

She pressed a hand to her forehead. “I feel it all, but I felt him the most. His confidence was mine. And now? Nothing left but me.” 

“Forgive me.” Vision laced his fingers together and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “The loss of your brother was a tragedy beyond words. I am grateful, however, that the world did not lose you, too.” 

Wanda swallowed and nodded, looked down at her knees. “Without him, I’m still lost. Perhaps I will be forever.” 

“How are you lost?” 

“Look at this.” She gestured at the thick ream of paper Steve had tossed on the table. “This, this is because of me. The Accords happened because of what I did. If Pietro had been there that day, things would have gone differently. He would’ve said, ‘sister, over here,’ and had a way out of it.” 

“You did everything possible with the abilities you were given,” Vision said gently. 

Wanda held a hand up and turned it over, watching a crimson haze drift over her knuckles and across her palm. “It’s a curse. Nothing but a burden.” 

She shook her head and crossed her arms again. “I’ve always been a burden, always. But I never was to him. Now he’s gone.” 

Vision turned his head to look at her, contemplative. “Just because you sense their fear does not mean you have to let it inhabit you.” 

Wanda opened her mouth to refute him, but he was right. Instead, she stood up from the couch and stretched. 

“I’m going to take a nap,” she said bitterly, and stalked off. 

Vision didn’t stop her. He waited until she was halfway across the room before standing up. The last thing Wanda saw before ducking out the door was him wandering over to a short row of cookbooks standing decoratively on the kitchen counter. 


End file.
